State Leaders Will Collaborate on COVID Relief Spending Plan

Gov. Jim Justice said he plans to reach out to leaders in the state Legislature to decide how to allocate the latest in federal stimulus funding. Justice said his staff is working on a spending plan for $678 million from the America Rescue Plan. The governor said House and Senate input will be sought next week. The funding represents half of what the state will receive to offset economic setbacks from the coronavirus pandemic. The state will receive the rest of its nearly $1.4 billion allotment next year. An additional $516 million is going to every county and some larger cities.